And now for something completely different

DHH Week 1 is going very well! This week we have 133 deaf/hard of hearing kiddos aged 6-17. Most of them are oral, only a few communicate using only ASL. We have three interpreters helping us out this week, too, rotating between activities and in and out of the Health Lodge.

These kids are great. I love watching them sign, especially the little guys. Their fingers move a heck of a lot quicker than mine. But I'm learning quickly! My signs for the day yesterday were "forgot" and "also". My phrase for Sunday was, "Slowly, please; I'm learning."

The Lodge has been pretty slow, thus far, although I did give out a cup of Magic Water yesterday for a stomach ache. Last night I had to take a kiddo to the hospital (for a non emergent situation), which was exciting. The interpreter came along which was neat for him because he wants to do medical interpreting one day. I missed my first camp out opportunity, but there will be plenty of other opportunities.

Yesterday I did get to go in the water with the kids and play water polo. Our team lost but we still had a lot of fun. After swimming we got to build a raft out of branches we found in the forest. It was a good team building activity, but the raft sunk once four boys jumped on it.

So that's DHH week thus far. Stay tuned, because it's only Tuesday!

~SJ

CD1 Week Wrap up

Every Thursday at Lions Camp there is a dance. The kiddos look forward to it all week. I got to go for a little bit last week, and it was super fun. The kids had so much energy and spunk. They were all having a great time. I was watching all these tween and teen girls and thinking, "Was I ever that boy crazy?! My goodness!" (Answer: Yes, I was once that boy crazy) It was really cute seeing all the kiddos dressed up. Below are some pictures of the dance, myself, and the kiddos. Enjoy!
~SJ

Me, Potter, and the Traders Cabin

Maples/Traders inside the teepee

Sarah W, Me, and Holli

The friendly Lions Camp Lion

Skylar was a really popular with the kids

Back it up

So I promised I'd update about my fabulous camping weekend with two of my favorite people...so here it is!

My friends Katie and Brit, who have been very supportive of my whole camp endeavor, came up to visit me last weekend. As a camp employee, we are allowed to camp on one of the 4 campsites on weekends, and as Katie and Brit love to camp, this provided a great opportunity for some summer fun in a different setting than school, where we usually hang out.

We camped at Indian Point, the closest campsite to main camp. We spent the weekend fishing, relaxing, and eating Katie's delicious food! We also ventured into Stevens Point on Friday to dine at Noodles&Company (one of my favorite restaurants) and see Toy Story 3. I know that's not what camping is all about, but after being stranded at camp, I needed a little urban reprieve. On Saturday we tried going to Waupaca for something called Strawberry Fest but we got there too late. So instead we had ice cream at the local DQ then found cute little hotdog stand that had Chicago style hotdogs--which Katie and I love! Saturday night Rosholt had something called "Good Time in the Pines" with fair food, rides, and fireworks. We had a super awesome time!
It was a really amazing weekend and I was so happy that I got to show my friends where I'm spending my summer :) I'd love to update more, but I have to go get ready for a med pass! Hope all is well!

~SJ

Katie and her mad chef skills!

Hiking around the lake

Brit (left) Katie (right) under a fallen tree that uprooted

The crazy little chipmunks get so close!
(hint: look to the right of Brit's foot!)

Katie and I eating Chicago dogs at Mo's

Fireworks at Good Times in the Pines

Brit enjoying her funnel cake

Mo's

Brit, myself, and Katie :)

The good, the bad, the end of CD week 1

Well, the week is over. Most of the kids were sad to be leaving camp. A handful "graduated"--they can only come to the youth week until they are 17, and then they can only come to the adult week by invitation when they are 25.

This week was a huge learning experience for me. I'm beginning to be able to treat minor ailments without referencing the great almighty manual. We saw lots of things this week: rashes, bee stings, cuts, scrapes, and homesickness. I learned the healing properties of "anti-ache" and "magic water"--sometimes kids who are homesick come to the Lodge with headaches so we give them magic water...aka tap water that comes with a serious sounding set of instructions (3 sips and it will start to work within 5-10 minutes.) One kid said it helped him sleep really well!

The kids just warmed my heart. When I went on a nature hike with my cabin, all the kids just wanted to hold my hand. They thought it was really cool when I taught them some sign language. They all had stories to tell, about their lives, their families, and anything that came to mind.

My favorite story so far is about the kiddo I mentioned in the last post who reminded me very much of my brother Nicholas. One night during Trading Post time (where the kids can buy snacks and juice), Jacob says to his counselor, "Tyler, Tyler, we've got a BIG problem!" Tyler says, "What's wrong, buddy?"
Jacob [pointing to Phillip's lemonade]: "That has CALORIES, 150 calories! It's going to keep you up ALL NIGHT!"
Phillip, another counselor: "Jacob, I think you mean 'caffeine.' "
Jacob: "Oh...then keep drinking."

It was so cute! :)

Not everybody had a good week. We did have some fights and behavior issues and in some cases quite a bit of attitude. And as we all know, attitude is everything! One camper who decided it was a good idea to hit, pinch, and headbutt her counselor, Andrea (the camp director), Jamie (her assistant), and Ellyse (one of the unit directors), will not be allowed to come back next year. Maybe in two years, when she's had a chance to mature, she will be asked back. Her outbursts, which didn't occur until the end of the week, surprised me. She was generally bubbly and happy. Through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, she got to meet Miley Cyrus this past April. Next month she will be having brain surgery to try and decrease the number of seizures she has. It's another one of those my heart goes out to the troublemaker stories--something I know I'll run into a lot as a teacher.

All in all it was a great week. Sunday brings our first week of deaf/hard of hearing kiddos. I'm nervous but excited to meet them and have another amazing week seeing all the things these kiddos can accomplish!

~SJ

Other Duties As Assigned

So it's been a few days, quite a few in fact, and I'm sure you missed me. I'll be sure to update you about my fun weekend camping out with two of my favorite people int he next entry. First let me tell you about my week!

We got our new kiddos on Sunday and with the kids came the energy! Camp has become a very active place this We have kids with a huge variety and range of disabilities, from Autism to Downs Syndrome. It's been a blast getting to know these kids, but boy do the keep you running! Med pass is crazy as compared to last week. It gets a little busy in here during those couple of times during the day, but nothing we can't handle!

My heart goes out to every one of these kids, even the troublemakers. One little guy really reminds me of my brother Nicholas and it makes me miss all my brothers. He's the cutest little thing, with glasses that make his eyes look really big and he has to look up at you when he talks to keep the frames on his face. A lot of our kids are adopted, have one or both parents who have passed away, or just have a rough life at home. I want to hug them all the time, but mostly we just settle for high fives. We've already had quite a few homesick kids along with some who just love us so much that they create an ailment just to hang out in the Health Lodge.

Just like in K4 this past semester, the moments that really make me smile are when the kiddos remember/call me by my name. Yesterday one of the little boys int he cabin I was working with said, "Sarah, can you sleep with us tonight?" It just tugged at my heartstrings! It is moments like this that get me through the day--because the last two days I've been go go going for 12-13 hours straight!

There's a lot more to working in the Health Lodge than just passing meds, for those of you who wonder what I do all day. Every night we have to clean the whole Lodge, nearly top to bottom. We sweep and mop the floor and all eight rooms and disinfect EVERYTHING--door handles, sinks, light switches, chairs. It takes quite a while. There's also a fair bit of paperwork and filing to do every week along with lice checks and quick physicals on Sundays during check in. We also do lots of laundry here int he Lodge, which is especially fun for me, because unlike the machines at school where you just have to specify temperature and load size, the washer/dryers here are real world machines...and let me tell you, the first tie i went to do my own laundry I just about cried. Why on earth do we need so many different types of rinse cycles?! But the good news is I learn quickly and ask a lot of questions, thus:


So that's my week so far. We've care for a few cuts and scrapes, some headaches and homesickness, and of course, some athlete's foot. All in a day's work! I'm doing well, getting most of my sleep, trying to eat healthy, and going for a run when I can. I hope all is well with you!

~SJ

More fun from around camp!

I sat on this bench...and it worked!Every Sunday we wear our Lions Camp Scrub tops. This was my first day of campers so I had to celebrate photographically!

SailboatsOut past the boats, our very own inflatable Shamu protects the lakeOn the bottom most part of Na-wak-waThere was a bird's nest with some baby birds in it inside one of the pontoons. How cute!

Gone fishin'

My new friend LeeAnn, one of the counselors. It's her first year, too :)

I orchestrate an intense pontoon rescue! (Or pretend to...)

Indian Point, one of the campsites on the camp groundsThe rope swing

A camper and counselor canoe around Lions Lake

Wow, it has been a busy couple of days. I've been having so much fun getting to know the campers. Meal times are my favorite. During announcements, everyone gets so excited and cheers for just about everything. Our camp director, Andrea, is very genuine and funny and has long-standing relationships with many of the campers. You can tell they like her a lot--and I do too!

Just now, outside the health lodge, one of our campers came up to take pictures of three other campers and their guide dogs. Then one of the nursing assistants came out and asked the camper if she wanted to be in the picture with the dogs--and she got so excited! She was very happy and threw her arms around one of the dogs' necks.

It's been very rainy all week so there hasn't been a lot of opportunity for outdoor fun. But today it's a little warmer and clearer, even though it's not sunny. We did some pontoon rides again this afternoon, and this morning I went fishing with some of the campers. We caught a few small bass, a bluegill, and a sunfish, but ended up throwing them all back. Tonight there are two campouts going on--one with staff, one without. I might swing by for a s'more, but I have to be up early tomorrow so I probably won't stay out.

The trading post is a popular hang out. They sell ice cream, candy, chips, and soda out of the concession window, and inside they have sweatshirts/t-shirts and camp gear. There are some lawn games that go on in front of the trading post and people gather and chat. One of our campers has taken it upon himself to be the DJ and he has had his CD player out every day/night.

Last night was my first time on night call. I was lucky; I didn't get woken up until about 5:40am for a non-emergency.

I can't believe the week is half over already. I'm looking forward to having some good friends come up this weekend. We're going to go camping on the grounds.

On Sunday we'll get our first week of kiddos--I can't wait! We will have kiddos with cognitive disabilities. It will be challenging (in a good way) and I'm looking forward to learning a lot!

Hope all is well with you and yours!

~SJ

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...SJ?!

As a part of staff training, we got to do most of the activities around camp that the campers will get to do. We spent one afternoon doing the high ropes/challenge course. This includes the rock wall, along with a bunch of wire cables nailed into trees high off the ground. You get strapped into a harness and hooked up to a rope and somebody belays you while you climb like Tarzan up in the trees!

I climbed the cargo net so fast that people were asking if I was in the Army!
Apparently I had the Army face.

They call this one "The Gap". You climb up the left side of the tree using big staples. When you reach the first platform, you pray to whatever god you believe in and jump across to the next platform! Rinse, lather, repeat!

This is the "Multi-vine". You climb up one tree and use the ropes hanging down to walk across the wire under it. I did this one first and it really built my confidence.
"The Chairs"! This one was actually a lot harder than it looked. And with my staff cheering me on I couldn't by show off by skipping a chair occasionally...I was pretty sore the next day!
Next to The Chairs was "The Beam". Basically a balance beam up in the air. Once I got comfortable walking backwards and forwards, I started doing handstands!
Just kidding! No handstands.
This one, which is hard to see is called "The Eagle." It is very high up. You walk on one wire and have two

Something I found very interesting was that all the things you see above, all of those scary looking ropes mounted high in the air, and that rock wall...ALL of our campers do these (or have the option to--we subscribe to the challenge by choice here at camp). Even our visually impaired kiddos can do high ropes! How cool is that? I can't wait to see them in action in a few weeks!

~SJ

This is my temporary home

There are 4 Nursing Assistants at camp; three of us are named Sarah, so I'm representing the Wilke name this summer! Sarah J and Sarah W (the other one) live in the health lodge. Holli and I live next door in the old health lodge, which is now the arts and crafts building.

Holli and I

Clearly I'm very excited about being here :)

My room is like a dorm room, only smaller.

Right now my closet is pretty organized...you may now start placing bets on how long it will stay that way

So those are my summer digs. It's cozy. I don't spend too much of my day in there, though. Too much to do outside! Did I mention we have a mudpit?!

~SJ

Week One, Day One

The campers are here! This week we have blind/visually impaired adults. They all arrived yesterday with bells on! There are such great personalities among the campers. Many of them have been coming to camp for upwards of 10 yrs--one man I checked in yesterday has been coming here 32 years! Our campers range in age from 20-80's--yes, 80's!

One neat thing going on during VBI week is that there are wind chimes placed outside of some of the buildings, each with a different tone so that campers will be able to listen for what building they are at.

There is a lot of opportunity to bond with the campers, as many need an elbow to hold as they travel around camp. They are always appreciative when you help them out. Many are very willing to talk to you about their visual impairment and explain what they can or can not do. That really helps us out a lot, because we have about 130 campers.

There are about five guide dogs here this week, but you can't touch them when hey have their harness on!

Camp functions as more of a resort during adult VBI week. The capers are here to have fun and relax, so it is less structured than it will be when we have kiddos. There is all kinds of fun going on: basket weaving, a polka band, boating, swimming, fishing, nature programs, and sensory theatre.

As for me, I'm beginning a long week in terms of figuring out my sleep schedule. Four days of the week I start at 7am. Throughout each day I will have a different schedule with the same components: Health Lodge hours, time off, cabin time, and passing meds. One night a week I have to be on night call, which means I camp out in the health lodge overnight and wait by the phone in case something happens to a camper in the middle of the night.

Currently I am doing a 5 hour stretch of health lodge hours, waiting for people to come in for meds or ailments...so stay tuned for more updates--and pictures!

~SJ

There are too many buttons on this washer!

What a week! I'm still working on getting some good pictures of the high ropes/challenge course I did earlier in the week; I want to wait until I have those to blog about that. But there's plenyt more to tell!

One day this week we had a deaf-breakfast and a blind-lunch. During breakfast we were only allowed to talk in sign, which was challenging since many of us are not fluent signers. Those who are deaf/hard of hearing or fluent are very helpful, however. If you don't know a sign for something you can fingerspell the word and they are happy to show you. One fun fact that we were told was that the weeks that we have deaf/hard of hearing kiddos are when the dining hall is the loudest! Interesting!

During blind-lunch we had to partner up and we got either a blindfold or glasses that were dark or had obstructed vision to simulate what it's like to eat a meal as a person with blindness/visual impairment. Our partner was there to help us get our food, get a seat, and explain where the plate was. Halfway through the meal, we switched roles. Something interesting about this was that we learned how to explain a plate full of food in terms of a clock. So to orient me to my plate my partner would say, "Tonight for dinner we are having carrots, grilled chicken, and applesauce. Your chicken is at 6 o'clock, your carrots are at 9'o clock, and your applesauce is at 1 o'clock. Your fock and knife are both on the right side of your plate and your juice is above your plate at about 2 o'clock.

One fun thing we do involves a half a popsicle stick named Sneaky. Sneaky has a face drawn on him and is inconspicuously passed among campers (or this week, staff). When you get to dinner, you have to see if Sneaky has ended up anywhere on your person. The rules are tht you can not pass Sneaky in the dining hall and when you do pass Sneaky, if the person you are trying to pass it to catches you, you have to take him back. If you find you have Sneaky, you have to pick out of the Sneaky jar, "and as we all know, Sneaky can either give you something really really good, or soemthing not so good." One of the other Nursing Assistants (Sarah Wylie) ended up with Sneaky and she and her cabin mates (Sarah J, Holli, and I) were charged with the task of writing a song to sign to the kitchen staff. I cam up with a parody of Lean on Me that went something like this:

Sometimes in our lives,

We go to camp,

And we get hungry

Lactose intolerant and gluten free

We know they'll take care of us

So just call on the kitchen when you need a snack

We all need somebody to feed us!

It was a hit! The best they'd heard in a long time, they said!

It hasn't been all fun and games this week, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't having a great time! We have the weekend off before we get our first week of campers (Sunday!). I am driving in to Steven's Point tonight because I have to take my Praxis II tomorrow (like an ACT/SAT on steroids, and specifically for education majors hoping to student teach!) I'ma little nervous, but as I told my mom, I paid $200 to take this test, I WILL pass the first time!

I will update more just as soon as possible! Hope all is well!

~SJ

Where's Waldo?

Today was a lot of paperwork and cleaning at the Health Lodge. I also learned to drive a 15 passenger van, a golf cart, and a pontoon boat! I took some pictures around camp so you can see where I am and what I'm up to.

Ta-da! Camp :)

Louie the Lion. He keeps camp safe, so no worries Mom and Dad
Lion's Lake, the sunset, and the Totem Pole, Na-Wak-Wa, standing at 38 feet tall.
This is the Health Lodge.
I'm going to become pretty friendly with this place over the next 60 some odd days :)

More pictures to follow. Here's a little interesting information about Na-wak-wa.!

Courage...

The top figure selected was the Bald Eagle, whom we call ‘mi-gi-zi-wag’. The eagle was best known for his courage and bravery. It is not only our national emblem, but it also represents one of the most famous birds from Wisconsin, Old Abe, the mascot of the 8th Regiment, Company C. In the Civil War, he took part in 22 battles and 60 skirmishes. Old Abe came from the Lac du Flambeau Indian Reservation.

Teamwork...

The second figure is the Beaver, whom we call ‘amik’ known for his ambition as a hard worker. One who is always willing to work together as a team to get the job done. It also represents the Lions Clubs who work together for the good of others.

Merriment...

The third figure is the Raven, whom we call ‘gaa-gaa-gishii’. This raven is special because he has the eyes of an Owl, one who sees in the dark. The raven is a very crafty bird, known to be mischievous, very loud and one who likes to attract attention. He is well represented by the Tail Twister in every Lions Club. The little raven, whom by legend, put the stars and moon in the sky, represents the Lions worldwide.

Intelligence...

The next figure is the wolf, whom we call ‘ma-iin-gan’. Known for his cunning, he has tremendous stamina, and strength. He represents the Lions Clubs who come up with the clever and new ideas to raise funds for their programs of service.

Strength...

The next figure is the Bear, whom we call ‘ma-kwa’. One of the strongest of all the wild animals in North America and one of the fastest, known to be an expert fisherman and family provider. He represents the Lions Clubs as the strongest service club in the world.

Dedication...

The Lions Emblem, representing the Lion, whom we call ‘mi-shi-biz-ii’ is the low man on the totem pole, but is also the most important. It is holding up all the rest. The Lions emblem represents the millions of Lions around the world supporting every project, every event, every program of service for their community.

We call it Na-Wak-Wa, which means "a meeting place for friends". We hope this will always be your Na-wak-wa.

When it rains at camp, YOU GET WET

...And boy did it ever rain today!

Greetings from the Wisconsin Lions Camp in Rosholt WI, where I am spending my summer as a Nursing Assistant! The Wisconsin Lions Camp serves adults and children with disabilities ranging from blind/visually impaired and deaf/hard of hearing to cognitively disabled and diabetic.

I arrived here on Saturday and we've been doing staff training since. We get our first week of campers (blind/visually impaired adults) on Sunday. They will stay through next Friday and then the fun starts all over again with new campers!

I'm working on taking some pictures to post so I can show you where I am and what I've been doing. The camp is beautiful. I'm enjoying working and bonding with the staff here as well. Everyone is here because they WANT to be, not because they HAVE to be. What a concept, hey?

Serving the population that we serve, I've been learning a bit of sign language, something I've always wanted to do. Three of our counselors are deaf/hearing impaired and all attended Lions Camp as campers when they were kiddos. They're very patient with us hearing folk as we learn. It's a long process. The sentence structure is very different from written/spoken English.

For example, if I want to ask you where you are from, in verbal English it looks/sounds like this:

"Where are you from?"

In ASL, it looks like this:

You...from...where?

There is no verb tense (past/present/future), so when you want to say I went to the store, the ASL form ends up being: Yesterday...I...go...store. It's very interesting!

I am quickly learning that the hours I keep at college do not fly well at camp. I wake up quite a bit earlier here which puts so many more hours into my day! Of course that means bedtime comes a little sooner too, but by 10:00pm I'm done tuckered out!

I will keep this blog up as much as possible over the summer and I encourage you to follow me and see what I'm up to. Hope all is well in all of your various corners of the world!

~SJ